Metrology is the accurate measurement of an object's shape during factory assembly or other processes or for other purposed where accurate measurements are needed. The raw data from 3-D sensors used for metrology is usually in the form of point clouds, or a list of the 3-D coordinates of measured points. Point clouds are difficult to interpret or manipulate, so they are normally converted into a mesh surface representation of the object similar to what is used in computer graphics to represent computer generated objects for display. While many methods have been developed for generating surfaces from point clouds, such as splines or regularized least-squares fitting algorithms, none of these techniques incorporate prior knowledge of how a sensor's accuracy varies with location in viewing direction. 3-D sensors typically have different accuracies in directions along the viewing vector and transverse to the viewing vector, and also for different distances from the measured object. These varying accuracies can lead to increased time and labor in assembling large, complex objects, such as aircraft. Accordingly, there is a need for a system and method for accurately producing a mesh surface representation of an object that take into account these inaccuracies.